dear

Universal Words adjective, exclamation, noun, adverb adjective (dearer, dearest) 1 ~ (to sb) loved by or important to sb: He's one of my dearest friends. * Her daughter is very dear to her. * They lost everything that was dear to them. 2 (Dear) used at the beginning of a letter before the name or title of the person that you are writing to: Dear Sir or Madam * Dear Mrs Jones 3 [notusuallybeforenoun] (BrE) expensive; costing a lot of money: Everything's so dear now, isn't it? 4 (dear old / little...) (BrE) used to describe sb in a way that shows affection: Dear old Sue! I knew she'd help. * Their baby's a dear little thing. IDIOMS hold sb/sth dear (formal) to care very much for sb/sth; to value sb/sth highly: He had destroyed everything we held dear. moreatHEART, LIFE, NEARadj. exclamation used in expressions that show that you are surprised, upset, annoyed or worried: Oh dear! I think I've lost my purse! * Oh dear! What a shame. * Dear me! What a mess! * Dear oh dear! What are you going to do now? noun 1 (BrE, spoken) a kind person: Isn't he a dear? * Be a dear and fetch me my coat. 2 used when speaking to sb you love: Would you like a drink, dear? * Come here, my dear. 3 used when speaking to sb in a friendly way, for example by an older person to a young person or a child: What's your name, dear? compareDUCK adverb (BrE) at a high price: to buy cheap and sell dear IDIOMS see COSTv.